It initially uses the online “influence score” service Klout to track individual social media performance across all UK councils and provide a comparative ranking. Over time, further statistics will be included in the ranking, decided in conjunction with the councils themselves.

Rise’s CEO, a social media expert and former Wandsworth borough councillor himself, Toby Beresford said “I believe the time has come for local governments to fully embrace social media as a tool for fast, direct and transparent communication with the people they serve. By producing this monthly report we aim to support councils with accurate and relevant statistics as they transition to increasingly effective use of social media. We see the town of Jun in Spain as a trailblazer (Guardian article – 2 Jul 2015). By providing each of their elected officials and front line staff with Twitter accounts together with training – the town of Jun have reduced communications friction between citizen and public servant. This has led to greater engagement with and a sense of ownership of public services, both much needed here in Britain.”

The town of Jun recently made headlines as it has publicly ensured its staff from street cleaners to police officers have Twitter, local residents can register their Twitter accounts with the council so ensuring their tweets and questions are responded to appropriately. Everyone can get free training.

Guy Stephens, the social customer service guru said, “I’m delighted to see Rise taking the initiative to produce this monthly report. Without comparative statistical reporting, it’s all too easy for the excellent work that social customer service departments do, to go unrecognised. My hope is that this will not only highlight excellent performance, but also prompt decision makers to increase their investment in social customer service and digital inclusion programs.”

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